2016 Netherlands coins in ongoing series honor UNESCO site

First Dutch commemoratives of 2016 feature new coining technology

The Royal Dutch Mint offers a Proof .900 fine gold coinwith a mintage limited to 1,250 pieces, from a series of coins honoring the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site. Coin images courtesy of the Royal Dutch Mint.

The Royal Dutch Mint debuts a new technology, Line Phase Modulation, on its first commemorative coin of 2016. The Proof .925 fine silver €5 coin appears here; the seagulls sport the new technology. Images courtesy of the Royal Dutch Mint.

An image of the packaging for the Proof .925 fine silver €5 highlights the new technology dubbed Line Phase Modulation by the Royal Dutch Mint. Image courtesy of the Royal Dutch Mint.

A four-coin set of €5 coins features color and gold-plating on each of the coins. [Ljava.lang.Object;@53864737

The first Dutch commemorative coin of 2016 also marks the debut of new technology
from the Royal Dutch Mint.

The Proof 2016 silver €5 coin from a series of coins honoring the
Wadden Sea will be the first Dutch commemorative coin to feature what
the Royal Dutch Mint calls the Line Phase Modulation technique.

The technique was used to highlight seagulls flying over a map of
the sea's islands on the reverse of the coin.

In this technique, an existing image is converted to a line pattern.
The distance between the individual lines varies, creating the
appearance of gray shading. The image is best viewed when tilting the
coin, as the wavy lines glitter across the birds in flight.

This coin is part of an annual series celebrating the UNESCO World
Heritage Sites in the Netherlands. The 2016 program is the fifth in
the series.

The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the
North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental
Europe and the range of Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of
water with tidal flats and wetlands. It is rich in biological diversity.

In 2009, the Dutch and German parts of the Wadden Sea were inscribed
on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and the Danish part was added in June
2014. The German part was the setting for the 1903 Erskine Childers
novel The Riddle of the Sands.

The Wadden Sea coins were designed by Kianoosh Motallebi.

Base-metal and silver examples are denominated €5, and a gold €10
coin completes the program.

On the obverse is a map of the region with identifying place names,
along with local wildlife.

The reverse carries the portrait of King Willem-Alexander.

Multiple metals, finishes and denominations are available.

Circulation-quality examples will be issued at face value through
PostNL post offices, Primera shops and the Royal Dutch Mint website
beginning June 11. No stated mintage limit was announced for this option.

The Royal Dutch Mint will offer up to 158,000 Uncirculated
silver-plated copper €5 coins at face value in 20-count rolls, and up
to 12,500 Brilliant Uncirculated versions in numbered coin cards.

The Commission of Fine Artsâ recommendation for the Proof 2014 American Eagle platinum coin, left, brought outrage and derision at the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee meeting. The CCAC recommended the design to the right.

The Commission of Fine Artsâ recommendation for the Proof 2014 American Eagle platinum coin, left, brought outrage and derision at the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee meeting. The CCAC recommended the design to the right.

The Commission of Fine Artsâ recommendation for the Proof 2014 American Eagle platinum coin, left, brought outrage and derision at the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee meeting. The CCAC recommended the design to the right.

The Commission of Fine Artsâ recommendation for the Proof 2014 American Eagle platinum coin, left, brought outrage and derision at the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee meeting. The CCAC recommended the design to the right.

The Commission of Fine Artsâ recommendation for the Proof 2014 American Eagle platinum coin, left, brought outrage and derision at the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee meeting. The CCAC recommended the design to the right.